Author Topic: If Brymen BM869s is cheaper and as good, why people would still buy Fluke?  (Read 194937 times)

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Offline Lightages

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You can also look for a Greenlee DM860A in the US. It is a re-branded BM869.

The 87V has a lifetime warranty, auto touch hold, faster peak hold, longer battery life, longer history, and the Fluke reputation. To some people the warranty and the reputation are enough to justify buying it over any other meter in the price class.

The BM869 has more counts, better accuracy, dual display, PC connection option, dual temperature, CATIV/1000V, dBm, and VFD. All of this for a lower price. Brymen also makes the meter in the AM-XXX series for Amprobe, the MM series for Extech, and some others. The Brymens seem to be rather well sealed against environmental contamination but they do not specify anything in regards to this.

Yes I had a problem with www.tme.eu but it was resolved in the end. Many others have had good dealings with them.

Edit:

Oh yes, I am offering a 3 year warranty on Brymens I sell even though Brymen only has 1. I cannot give a lifetime warranty on them as I am only a one man band right now and can't make that offer with good conscience. Greenlee has a lifetime on their Brymen re-brands.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2015, 10:10:00 pm by Lightages »
 
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Online Electro Fan

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Lightages, Dadler, or Others - Is a Greenlee 510A the same model as a Brymen 257s?  If they are the same model is there any reason to prefer one vs. the other (if a user is in the U.S.)?  Both are available in the U.S.  Thx
 

Offline Lightages

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It is the same as the BM257 yes. Actually you have an incentive to get it from Greenlee for their lifetime limited warranty.

One thing. The Greenlee might not be equal to the latest revision of the BM257, the BM257s, which is updated to match the latest IEC requirements for CAT ratings.
 

Offline Hydrawerk

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Brymen is good, but it has no drop or waterproof specification. For bench use it is OK. For industrial use, I would prefer Fluke.
Brymen should make a shock and waterproof multimeter in future.
BTW here you can see the Fluke 87 internals. https://plus.google.com/photos/104378593109746079667/albums/5886806334289971217/5962741548115509202?pid=5962741548115509202&oid=104378593109746079667
EDIT: This is not my gallery. I am not David Cada. I do not own that multimeter.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 07:52:05 pm by Hydrawerk »
Amazing machines. https://www.youtube.com/user/denha (It is not me...)
 

Offline mzacharias

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If the 869s is one of those with the curved display screen, like the Greenlee's and Extech's, I would suggest that the daily battle with reflections at any angle would be a source of constant frustration. Style over substance... simply a poor design choice.

I have an older Brymen 857 and it's a fine meter for general use but I still almost always reach for a Fluke.
 
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Offline EEVblog

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I wanted to check why you still would want to buy Fluke, if Brymen is cheaper and as good.

Trust.
 
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Offline eas

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"Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM".
An old platitude. In Big Blue's heyday, did it say more about the quality of IBMs products and service, or their PR? When people say it today, are they, and the people who they are saying it to, considering that times change?
 


Offline jadew

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First, I'd like to say that TME is extremely trustworthy. I've used them 10s of times and they're just great.

About the meters, I think people that were used to Fluke will tend to use Fluke in the future too. It comes down to commodity and not willing to take the risk with something new.

When I was looking for a meter I didn't even think about Fluke. I know there are particular areas of the field where a rugged meter is necessary, but most of us, most of the "electronics people" don't need them. Personally I never dropped a meter - I can't even imagine a situation in which that might happen, not to mention submerge it! Why would I need it to be water proof anyway? I don't keep buckets of water laying around my lab, that would be insane.

This is the reason I didn't consider Fluke, if you strip the ruggedness away, you're left with an overpriced meter with poor specs. I think most people realize this and I bet that a lot of old Fluke customers or new possible customers are choosing different brands now.

In my case, the choice was between Agilent and Brymen and went with Brymen because it had good specs and better price.

TL;DR: You want a Fluke if you work in the mines or if you're an existing customer and you don't feel like trying something new. For everything else there are better alternatives.

Edit: I rephrased something.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2015, 12:43:51 pm by jadew »
 
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Online Fungus

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This is the reason I didn't consider Fluke, if you strip the ruggedness away, you're left with an overpriced meter with poor specs.

Poor specs?
 

Offline Muxr

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Take away the ruggedness and protection of any meter and you're left with a cheap meter.
 
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Offline jadew

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This is the reason I didn't consider Fluke, if you strip the ruggedness away, you're left with an overpriced meter with poor specs.

Poor specs?


87 III:
Digital: 4000 counts updates 4/sec; (Model 87 also has
19,999 counts in 4½-digit mode, updates 1/sec.)

That's a 3½ meter in not painfully slow mode. With a 0.05% + 1 digit accuracy for DC Voltage. That's worse than both Agilent U1272A and Brymen 86x and costs a LOT more than any of them.

1 digit on a 3½ meter is 5 times worse than 2 digits on a 4½.

Edit: The brymen has 0.02% + 2 counts and it's a 50,000 counts meter.

Edit 2: My point is that Fluke didn't keep up with the times. What was great 10 years ago, is common sense territory these days. There's nothing wrong in selling old technology, but they're way too expensive for what they have to offer.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2015, 01:15:49 pm by jadew »
 
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Offline HackedFridgeMagnet

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Just want to point out the Australian price for Fluke meters is ridiculous. I wouldn't buy them again until I could get one for a fair price.
Here in Aus we have to go through Australian distributors which are a rip off.
eg. http://www.qldcalibrations.com.au/fluke-87v-true-rms-multimeter That is $630 US. First one I found that wasn't EBay. So obviously we are paying for more than postage.

Cheaper on EBay but then it is grey market, no Australian warranty.
I did manage to buy one on TE electronics once and paid for it but then they said they weren't allowed to give it to me. Long story, no sale.
So if you live in Aus then I would go Brymen, unless someone else is paying for it. Even if someone else is paying for it.

 
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Offline jadew

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In Europe, the 87V is $760 after tax.
 

Offline iloveelectronics

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So if you live in Aus then I would go Brymen, unless someone else is paying for it. Even if someone else is paying for it.

Fun fact: Australia is indeed the most popular destination for the Brymen meters I sell.
My email address: franky @ 99centHobbies . com
My eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/99centhobbies
 

Offline Muxr

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This is the reason I didn't consider Fluke, if you strip the ruggedness away, you're left with an overpriced meter with poor specs.

Poor specs?


87 III:
Digital: 4000 counts updates 4/sec; (Model 87 also has
19,999 counts in 4½-digit mode, updates 1/sec.)

That's a 3½ meter in not painfully slow mode. With a 0.05% + 1 digit accuracy for DC Voltage. That's worse than both Agilent U1272A and Brymen 86x and costs a LOT more than any of them.

1 digit on a 3½ meter is 5 times worse than 2 digits on a 4½.

Edit: The brymen has 0.02% + 2 counts and it's a 50,000 counts meter.

Edit 2: My point is that Fluke didn't keep up with the times. What was great 10 years ago, is common sense territory these days. There's nothing wrong in selling old technology, but they're way too expensive for what they have to offer.
87-III is an old/discontinued meter. 20k count mode/high res mode on 87-V is 3 readings per second not 1.

You've never used the Fluke meter I take it?

I feel like you're missing the point of the 87-V. It was not built to impress you with the specs. It was built to provide a lifetime of accurate measurements. Weather it takes abuse or not. Fluke has a reputation of very little drift even after taking abuse. Jury is still out on the Brymen's longevity imo, how much does it drift for example?

Fluke has higher resolution meters. Yet many still prefer the 87-V. Why do you think that is?

The way I see it, if you're going to spend $200+ on a handheld, and you can get a Fluke, it makes little sense to buy anything else, unless you really feel you need a feature Fluke is missing. Or you want to try something different.

Quality matters, and a few meters are of higher quality if any. For precision measurements, you really want a bench meter, because DMMs lack the battery life to provide an accurate heated voltage ref. In other words the higher counts on hand held DMMs quickly become a gimmick. So why not go with quality over some theoretical spec no meter can live up to?
« Last Edit: May 26, 2015, 02:01:20 pm by Muxr »
 
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Offline XFDDesign

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What does Brymen offer in the 6.5 digit space?

I can only shop for what I can buy in the US.
 

Offline jadew

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87-III is an old/discontinued meter. 20k count mode/high res mode on 87-V is 3 readings per second not 1.
Even if you replace the specs of the 87-III with 87-V, the point still stands.

You've never used the Fluke meter I take it?
I have to admit that I have not, I do have friends that own them and I've seen them using them. I didn't see anything impressive.

I feel like you're missing the point of the 87-V. It was not built to impress you with the specs. It was built to provide a lifetime of accurate measurements. Weather it takes abuse or not. Fluke has a reputation of very little drift even after taking abuse. Jury is still out on the Brymen's longevity imo, how much does it drift for example?
Point taken. Brymen is too young to know how well it performs in the long run, but I have feeling that they'll do just fine.

Fluke has higher resolution meters. Yet many still prefer the 87-V. Why do you think that is?
Commodity or not willing to risk testing something new. I don't disagree that at some point Fluke meters were great and that they're still decent. But I also don't think that it's unimaginable that new technology and/or newcomers can outperform them. Keep in mind that their next competitor is not Brymen, it's Agilent, the biggest fish in the sea.


The way I see it, if you're going to spend $200+ on a handheld, and you can get a Fluke, it makes little sense to buy anything else, unless you really feel you need a feature Fluke is missing. Or you want to try something different.

Quality matters, and a few meters are of higher quality if any. For precision measurements, you really want a bench meter, because DMMs lack the battery life to provide an accurate heated voltage ref. In other words the higher counts on hand held DMMs quickly become a gimmick. So why not go with quality over some theoretical spec no meter can live up to?
Even if we leave Brymen aside, I'd still go for Agilent instead of a Fluke. They're cheaper and I have more trust in Agilent designs.
 

Offline Muxr

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Even if we leave Brymen aside, I'd still go for Agilent instead of a Fluke. They're cheaper and I have more trust in Agilent designs.
That's a bold statement.
 

Offline jadew

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Even if we leave Brymen aside, I'd still go for Agilent instead of a Fluke. They're cheaper and I have more trust in Agilent designs.
That's a bold statement.
Not saying that's a fact, that's my personal opinion, based on the fact that Agilent has a lot more experience in test and measurement. They've done so much it's silly to compare the two.
 

Offline paulie

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Yes, but does Agilent have experience with putting leaky supercaps in high end product? I understand Fluke provided the PCB corrosion and oxidation feature at no additional charge.
 

Offline Theboel

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can I trust brymen with my employee when they threat fluke like this ? I doubt it but maybe I am wrong who knows
 
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Offline poorchava

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Fluke tends to overpriced stuff.  For example their 2042 cable locator which retails for about 700Euro is a re-badge of some Chinese brand (I forgot which,  sorry).

Stuff like Brymen,  CEM and Applent does the job fine,  and in most cases you can buy one or two extra units for price of one fluke that does the same thing.
I love the smell of FR4 in the morning!
 

Offline Tom45

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When the groundbreaking Fluke 8020A came out in 1977 I bought one. It was tough and reliable but eventually the LCD faded away and intermittently lost some segments. So I moved on. Not sure where my 8020A is now. I doubt that I threw it away. Wonder what would happen if I made a "lifetime" warranty claim.

I now have a Fluke 12 for my travel kit. An Agilent U1272 and Keysight 34465 serve for bench work.
 


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